Bowling alley pin resetting machine



dan. 12, 1960 Filed Oct. 4, 1956 B. SCHERZINGER BOWLING ALLEY PIN RESETTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 /N VE N TOR @www u MM-@ww AT TOR NE YS Jan*- '12, 1960 B. scHERzlNGER 2,920,892

BOWLING ALLEY PIN RESETTING MACHINE 4 Filed oct. 4, 195e s sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Jan. 12, 1960 B, SCHERZvlNGl-:R 2,920,892

BOWLING ALLEY PIN RESETTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 4,y 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 P11/6. y271 22m 37 ATTORNE X5 United States Patent O 2,920,892 BOWLING ALLEY PIN RESETTING MACHINE Bruno Scherzinger, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, assigner to l/Iechanical Pin Resetter Co., Ltd., Calgary, Alberta,

anada Application October 4, 1956, Serial No. 613,965 Claims priority, application Canada October 12, 1955 8 Claims. (CLN3-43) Aproved apparatus for performing the functions carried t out by section (C) and such prior application.

f The primary object of the present invention is to provide, in a bowling alley pin resetting machine, improved (D) of the machine described in `apparatus for sorting balls from pins, so that the balls may be returned to the playing end of the alley along 4the return rail and the pins maybe fed to the mechanism that serves to reset a set of .pins on the alley. It is a ,further object of the present invention to provide means for clearing balls and pins from the pit of the alley and elevating -them to such sorting apparatus.

The `apparatus with which the present application is concerned may thus conveniently be divided into two sections, namely;

( 1) A pit clearing and elevating unit, which acts to l clear the pit of the bowling alley of balls and pins and to raise these to a higher level and section, which comprises;

(2) A` pin and ball sorting mechanism which receives feed them to the next 'balls and pins fromA the elevating unit and in turn feeds the balls to a return rail and the pins to a further part of "the machine not` illustrated in detail in the present application. This further part Iof the machine will be the recharging unit described as section (E) of the machine describedin said prior application.

In accordance with the present invention apparatus is provided for sorting pins from balls, comprising a con- `veyor belt, means mounting` a span of said conveyor belt to extend at aninclination to the horizontal less than the critical inclination for transmission of conveying forces from said belt to a pin and greater than the critical inclination for transmission of conveying forces from said belt to a ball, means for driving said belt to cause said `span to travel upwardly, means for discharging balls and pins onto said span, means for receiving pins from the upper end of said span, and means for receiving balls from the lower end of said span.

`The critical inclination for 1transmission of conveying -forces from the belt to a pin is the inclination at which the pin would tend to slide back down the belt. This inclinationis sometimesl referred toas the angle of repose and its tangent'is the co-etiicient of friction. The value of this angle will varyj with Athe nature of the surfaces of the belt and the pin, and will also depend on whether the pin is of the live-pin type having a rubber ICC,

n 2 peripheral band or whether it is of the ten-pin type having a smooth wooden side.

The critical' inclination for transmission of conveying forces from the belt to a ball is also dependent on the co-eicient of friction between the ball and belt, but in this case an additional factor arises, namely the ability of the ball to roll down the belt. At a very low inclination, the rate of acceleration of the ball rolling down the belt may be so slight as to produce a lower downward Velocity than the upward velocity of the belt. Although the downward velocity of the ball could be expected to increase so that ultimately the ball would move downwardly on the belt unless the inclination were extremely small, this action might incur an appreciable time delay. Although there will inevitably be some hesitation on the part of the ball as it is discharged onto the moving span of belt without any initial velocity in the direction of travel of the belt, provided the inclination of the span is not too low, the time represented by such hesitation will be short. The delay that can be accepted will depend on the rate of feed of the balls and pins onto said span. The rate of travel of the belt itself is also a factor that will be involved in the determination of the minimum inclinaton that may be given to the belt in order to insure suiiiciently rapid runoff of the ball, having regard to the rate of supply of pins and balls to the belt. It is intended that, in this specication including the claims, the term critical inclination as used in reference to the transmission of conveying forces from the belt to a ball should refer to such minimum acceptable inclination. In practice it will be appreciably smaller than the critical inclination for the transmission of conveying forces from the belt to a pin and there will be quite a wide range of inclinations available to the designer. Using the five-pin type of pins and balls, an inclination of the order of 12 to 15 has been found satisfactory. v

The present invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure l shows a general side view of both sections of the machine with which the present application is concerned, and also shows in broken lines certain other parts of the whole machine in order to demonstrate the relationship thereof with the` sections which form the subject of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a plan View of the of the apparatus illustrated in Figure l;

Figure 3 shows a front sectional view of most of the parts seen in Figure 2, taken on the line III-III in Figure l;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of unit seen from underneath;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged view of one of the parts seen in Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a portion of the main belt assembly seen from the left hand side as such assembly appears in Figure 2.

In the preparation of the accompanying drawings, it has been found convenient to facilitate understanding of the basis of operation of the machine by showing conventional elements in diagrammatic form and by omitting elements from certain views in which they should strictly appear, but in which they would obscure the parts with which the figure in question is primarily concerned. It follows that exact correspondence does not always exist between the various figures, but it is believed that such sacrifice has been made to the benefit of a clear appreciation of the important features of operation of -the mechanisms described.

Referring firstly .to Figure 1, the reference numeral -1 designates the end of a bowling alley, on which live pins 2 are standing, in the usual triangular array employed with the live-pin game. Beyond the end of the alley 1 right hand portion part of the elevating 'thereissa lpit lafthe -rear vwall of which is constituted by -a frame 3:0n which-is mounted aconventionalcushion'4.

A conveyor belt extending across the full width of thep-it 1a is mounted at the lower part of such pit immediatelytbehindfthe end of the alley 1 (see also Figure 2). Immediately behind this conveyor ybelt 5, there is a ssecondtransversely extending conveyor belt 6 which trav- :els across the rear of the pit infront of the cushion 4. The Apurpose of the conveyor belt 6 Ais to feed pins and '.ballslthat have been -passed to itby the conveyor belt 5 :into a loading recess 7 which is-situated at the extreme *left handrrear edgeof the pit, as best seen from Figure 3. `A further cushion 8 kwhichis arranged at the left hand side ofthepit 1a in-frontrofthe loading recess 7, serves to protectitheparts of the machine on the extreme left hand side ofthe pit fromflying pins and balls during play.

4For elevating pins and balls from the loading recess 7,

I ithere is provided a vertically extending elevator 11. This :elevator v11 consists of a pair of roller-chains 11a extendingaround a pair of sprocket wheels 9a on a shaft 9 .mounted `just above the loading lrecess 7, around idling @sprocket wheels'33 andk 33a and around a pair of sprocket wheels a10a on va shaft 10. The -shaft 10 is positively :driven from suitable driving means (later to be described) .through a clutch 13 of conventional type. Each of the Jroller rchains 11a supports a number of spring urged :fingers 12Varranged ininterconnected pairs on each side 'of the elevator 11. Figures 1, 3 and 4 together co-mbine to illustrate the manner in which each pair of ngers 12 Lwill serve, as the upwardly moving span of the elevator l'l 'commences at the sprocketwheels 9a, to scoop a pin .2 or a ball 2a out of the loading recess 7 and carry such ball vor pin upwardly towards the top of the machine. A 'guard 11b is arrangedbetween the two spans ofthe elevator 11 to avoid jamming that might occur if a pin were :picked up in other than avertical position.

The rst pair of sprocket wheels 33a encountered by the .upwardly travelling span of the elevator 11 is arranged generally above the loading recess 7 so as to render such span substantially vertical, but the shaft is set more -to;the right of thevp-it-so thatthe elevator 11, on continuing its upward travel beyond the pair of sprocket wheels 33a,rwill also travel somewhat towards the right of the pit. This inclined upper span of the elevator 11 is clearly 'seen between the right hand pair of sprocket wheels 33a yandthe sprocket wheels 10a in Figure 3. This inclination fhas the effect of discharging the elevated pins and balls from the elev-ator 11 to the second'section of the machine, ,namely the pin andball sorting mechanism,'which will now be described.

The first part of the sorting mechanism encountered by .theballs and pins elevated by the pit clearing and elevating unit just described, consists of a short conveyor belt 25 extending-in a triangular arrangement around pulleys 521, 22 and 26 (Figure 3), this belt being driven by Va chain 23 interconnecting a sprocket wheel 33b mounted on the shaft of sprocket wheels 33a, and a sprocket wheel 22a mounted on the shaft of the pulley 22. A pair of generally vertically disposed but slightlyoutwardly and upwardly inclined plates 24 and 24a is arranged on either side of the belt 25 toserve with such belt to form a channel along .which the balls and pins discharged from'the elevator -111 may be conveyed. Immediately beyond the end of the :belt 25 there is arranged a further belt 37 extending in the -longitudinal direction of the pit 1a, i.e. transverse to the belt 25. As may be seen from Figure l, the upper span `of the belt 37 which moves past the discharge end of the belt 25 is arranged to travel towards the alley 1 initially A'along an upward incline. The angle is about 12. This belt .37.is Vdriven by a vdriven pulley 37a and also rtravels zover'idling pulleys 37 b,' 37C and l37d.

The plate 24a situated towardsitherear of V,the-pit is .bent sharply backwards adjacent the belt 37 Ato `extend :alongparallel withsuch belt-and nallyto extend intoga return=rail=39which Vcurves downwardly around'the rear Vclination of'these belts is different.

of the pit and ultimately serves to return the balls 2a -to themainfeturn -rail (notshown) that extends along the side of the alley in the conventional manner.

Two further belts 27b and 27C are arranged parallel with a part of the belt 37 on the side of such belt remote from the belt 25 (see particularly Figures 3, 5 and 6). These belts 27b and 27C are shorter than the belt 37 and pass around the driven pulley 37a and a pulley 27a. A sprocket wheel 31 mounted on the shaft 28 of pulley 37a is connected by a chain 29 to a sprocket wheel 32 mounted on a shaft 32a around which the pulley 27a is free to rotate. The shaft 32a is in turn driven from a gear box 34 connected by #a belt 42 to a motor 43. The gear box 34 also drives a sprocket wheel 35 that is connected by a chain 36 to the clutch 13, thus constituting the driving means aforesaid.

An upstanding plate 24b is arranged on the side of the belt 37 remote from the belt 25. This plate 24b is outwardly and upwardly inclined at its part opposite the belt 25 and extends -along the belt 37 to form, in conjunction with the plate 24 and the belt 37 a channel along which pins 2 may be conveyed.

A counting mechanism 15 is situated above the belt 37, a downwardly extending finger 16 of such mechanism pro jecting into the path of pins on such belt 37. The counting mechanism 15 controls the clutch 13 through linkage 14 A(best seen from Figures 2 and 3). A solenoid 17 also acts on the counting mechanism 15 and control over the solenoid 17 is providedfor `by contacts 18 (Figure 1) situated on the recharging mechanism (designated generally at 40) to which the belt 37 conveys the pins 2. I'his recharging mechanism is effective to feed a set of pins into the pin setting unit shown generally at 41. The operation of the recharging mechanism and the pin setting unit is fully described in said prior application, exceptas modified in the manner described below in connection with the contacts 18.

The operation of the sorting mechanism is as follows:

As each ball or pin is discharged onto the belt 25 by the elevator 11, this ball or pin is conveyed across the top of the machine by such belt (see Figures 2 and 3). On arriving at the transverse belt 37, the article, if it be a pin 2, is frictionally engaged by such belt and carried, base leading, upwardly and towards the front of the machine (see Figure l). The elevator `11 is intended to convey ypins upwardly with their bases leading, i.e. as shown by the pinl 2 on the elevator in Figure 3, but it may be that the fingersl2 will occasionally pick up a pin with its head leading such as the pin 2 in Figure 3. When this occurs, the head of such pin projects sufficiently to come into con- 'tact with a pivotably mounted cross bar 38 arranged above and extending transverse to the belt 25 (Figure 3). This cross bar 38,will effectively check movement of the head of the pin 2', while'the base of such pin continues to travel with the belt 25. The pin is thus reversed, so that the base of the pin is its 'lirst part to come into contact with the belt 37, as shown in Figure'Z.

The two smaller belts 27b and 27e aid the belt 37 in swinging the base of the pin around to lie along the belt 37 and finally to travel up along the channel formed by 'thebelt 37 and plates 24 and 24b to the recharging ymechanism 40. It will be observed that the two smaller belts 27b and 27C run on parts of the pulleys 37a and 27a of greater diameter than the part of the pulley 37a on whichthe belt 37 runs. Furthermore, the ratio of the ef- ;fective diameters of the pulleys 27a and 37a in respect of their parts carrying the belt 27b is greater than vin respect of the partscarrying the belt 27e` so that the in- This effect is clearly seen in Figure 6. Similarly the pulleys 27a and 37a vare vso arranged that the belt -27cv is of .slightly greater inclinaltion tothevhorizontal than the belt 37. The effect of the progressively greater height and inclination of the upper spans of the b elts 37, 27C and27b in the area opposite the lbelt 25, is to provide a moving mechanism particularly adapted for engaging the curved base of a pin projected ,from the belt 25. Should'the pin`accidentally be dislcharged from the belt 25 with its base-inclined somewhatdownwardly, i.e. towards the return rail 39, the combined eiect ofthe three parallel belts will be to grip the" pin both at a point on its periphery'near its greatest diameterand also atv points nearer the central axis of the 'pin'"at its extreme 'bottomparh This method of gripping the .pin is found in practice to` provide very satisfactory f operation even in cases where' the pin is discharged onto `'theb'elft37 in an unusual orientation. The auxiliary belts ,2712, and 27e also serve, ofcourse, to prevent a pin being `forced too far across the belt 37.

lA fter five pins have passed 4along the channel formed by the belts 37, 27b and 27e, the iinger- 16 will have been moved five times. These movements of the finger 16, which acts on a ratchetvwheel (not illustrated) in the counting mechanism `15, willf move such ratchet wheel sufficiently to act on a cam, controlling the linkage 14. The effect of this operation will be to disengage the clutch ."13-and thusinterrupt the drive from the gear box 34 to the elevator 11. In this respect the mechanism differs from that described in said other application. The belt 25 will then stop with the elevator 11, by reason of its connection thereto through chain 23, but the belts 37 and 27b and 27e will continue to travel since they are independently powered through shaft 32a, chain 29 and shaft 28. This continuance of movement of the latter belts is necessary to ensure that the fifth pin which effected final operation of the counting mechanism 15 reaches the recharging mechanism 40. No more pins will, however, enter the belt 37. After a set of pins has passed from the recharging mechanism to the pin setting unit and it is permissible for the recharging mechanism to receive a fresh set of pins, the contacts 18 will close to energize the solenoid 17. The contacts 18 are normally held open by the presence of a pin and are allowed to close on movement of' said pin out of the recharging mechanism. Such a system of pin operated contacts is known per se (see for example United State Patent No. 2,676,016 issued April 20, 1954). The solenoid 17 then acts on the counting mechanism l5 to reset it, whereby the clutch 13 is reengaged through linkage 14 and the conveyor 11 and belt 25 are re-started.

When a ball is discharged into the sorting mechanism by the elevator 11, it will roll down the belt 37 by reason of the inclination of such belt, and will enter the return rail 39.

The apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described above, was designed for handling the comparatively small balls used with the five-pin game and the five-pin type of pin that has a resilient peripheral band. The basic principle of operation is, however, equally applicable to the larger balls and smooth-sided pins used in playing the ten-pin game. This applies more particularly to the sorting mechanism which will require only dimensional changes to render it suited to sorting the ten-pin type of pins from balls. As to the elevator, this would of course require ,modification to the fingers by reason of the larger diameter of the balls and the absence of a band on the pins.

I claim:

1. In a bowling alley pin resetting machine, apparatus for sorting pins from balls, comprising a first conveyor belt, means mounting a span of said conveyor belt to extend at an inclination to the horizontal less than the critical inclination for transmission of conveying forces from said belt to a pin, and greater than the critical inclination for transmission of conveying forces from said belt to aA ball, means for driving said belt to cause said span to travel upwardly, a second conveyor belt, means mounting a span of said second conveyor belt at substantially the same level as said span of said first conveyor belt, said second span extending transversely to said first span, an

`elevator for elevating pins and balls from the pit of the 4bowling alley, saidV elevator -ranged above said second span and extending transversely thereto whereby to engage the head of a pin discharged from said elevator when such pin is oriented with its head leading and effective to prevent forward movement of said head while the -base of such pin is carried forward lby said second span, said second span being arranged to discharge balls and pins received from said elevator onto said first span, means for receiving pins from the upper end of said first span, and means for receiving balls from the lower end of said first span.

IZ.` In a bowling alley pin resetting machine, apparatus for sorting pins from balls, comprising a first conveyor belt, meansmounting a span of said conveyor belt to extend at an inclination to the horizontal less than the critical inclination for transmission of conveying forces from said belt to a pin, and greater than the critical inclination for transmission of conveying forces from said belt to a ball, means-for driving said belt to cause said Span to travel upwardly, a second conveyor belt, means mounting'a span of said second conveyor belt at substantially the same level as said span of said first belt, said second span extending transversely to said first span, means for driving said second conveyor belt to cause said second span to travel towards said first span, a third conveyor belt, means mounting a span of said third conveyor belt closely adjacent and generally parallel to said span of said first conveyor belt on the side of said first conveyor belt remote from said second conveyor belt, said span of said third conveyor belt being spaced somewhat upwardly from said span of said first conveyor belt to prevent balls and pins passing beyond the said side of said first conveyor belt and to assist said first conveyor belt in propelling pins upwardly therealong, means for driving said third conveyor belt to cause said third span to travel in the same direction as said first span, an elevator for elevating pins and balls from the pit of the bowling alley, said elevator being arranged to discharge elevated balls and pins onto said second span, said second span being arranged to discharge balls and pins received from said elevator onto said first span with the bases of pins leading, means for receiving pins from the upper end of said first span, and means for receiving balls from the lower end of said first span.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wher'ein the inclination to the horizontal of said span of said third conveyor belt is slightly greater than the inclination to the horizontal of said span of said first conveyor belt.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, including a fourth conveyor belt, means mounting a span of said fourth conveyor belt to extend generally parallel to and closely adjacent to said span of said third conveyor belt on the side thereto remote from said second conveyor belt, said span of said fourth conveyor belt being spaced somewhat upwardly from said span of said third conveyor belt, to assist said third conveyor belt in preventing passage of balls and pins beyond the said side of said first conveyor belt and to further assist said first conveyor belt in propelling pins upwardly therealong.

5. In a bowling alley pin resetting machine, apparatus for sorting pins from balls, comprising a first conveyor belt, means mounting `a span of said conveyor belt to extend at an inclination to the horizontal less than the critical inclination for transmission of conveying forces from said belt to a pin, and greater than the critical inclination for transmission of conveying forces from said belt to a ball, means for driving said belt to cause said span to travel upwardly, a second conveyor belt, means mounting a span of said second conveyor belt at substantially the same level as said span of said first conveyor belt, said second span extending transversely to said first span, an elevator for elevating pins and balls from the pit of the bowling alley, said elevator being arranged to discharge elevated balls and pins onto said second span, means for ,driving said elevator and said ,SQQQQdQHYeYOr belt, said ksecond span being arranged to discharge `balls and pins 'received from said elevator onto said lfirst span, means jfor receiving balls -from the lower end of saidnfirstspan, means for counting the number of pins travelling upwardly along said first span to determine when a required predetermined number ofl pins has beenrfed a predetermined lpinholding mechanisms disposed ina 'horizontal array, said recharging means being arranged to receive pins from the upper end of said rst span.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 including means sensitive to the condition of said recharging means/effective to restart said drive means when `said recharging means is in a condition to 4receive a vf urtherhset of pins.

8. In a bowling alley pin resetting machine, apparatus "for sorting pins from balls comprising conveying means ,dening an. upwardly finlfid Path .0f trayel, Such Path havingan inclination to thehorizontal'less than lthe critical inclination for `transmissicyanvof `conveying forces to a pin and greater than ther-critical inclination for transmlssion of conveying forcesto adball, said xpath being of width greater thany them'aximumggirth yofafpin butgless. than the `length .of a pin whereby positively to prevent rotation of a Vpin 'travelling upwardly therealong about a generally vertical axis, means f or bringing pins :and balls into contact with lsaid kconveying Ameans including means for orienting said pins whereby to discharge thesarne onto said conveying means all 1with their basesleacling, means for receiving balls from :saidconveyingmeansuand means for receiving pins fromsaidconv'eying meanslsuch latter receiving means being pgsitiqned @1011s saidnmh 0f travel in advance Ofaid ,fQrmer ,receiving 111921115?- References *Citedl in the vfile of this 4patent .UNITED STATES PATENTS 

